Lubricant dispensing valve



April 23, 1946. F; cs. SCHWEIISTHAL LUBRICANT DISPENS ING VALVE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 1, 1944 jaazz wt z z P F. G. SCHWEISTHAL LUBRICANT DISPENSING VALVE Filed March 1, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q w a a L a a a v 0 MY WI 0/ m/ w 42. ,v 1M wimp 6 \k A a Z J. M w m J W 6 0 Q a 6 2 z w w m. 0 w i I g 2 W W m m H 6 00 e z e a W J J April 23, 1946.

F. G. SCHWEISTHAL LUBRICANT DISPENSING VALVE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 1 1944 N WW April 23, 1946. F. G. SCHWEI STHAL 4 Y LUBRICANT DISPENSING VALVE v 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 1 1944 Patented Apr. 23, 1946 2,399,147- LUBRIC T. DISPENSING VALVE Frederick G; Schweisthal, Skokie, Ill.,as'sig'nor to 7 Stewart-Warner Corporation,

corporation of Virginia Application- March' '1, 1944, Serial Nd.52'4';,53 31 1 My invention relates to lubricantdispensing valves and more particularly to a valve which dispenses a measuredv quantity of lubricant for each operation of the valve. r

It. is common to provide fractional horsepower electric motors with oil reservoirs whichare designed to contain a predetermined quantity of oil and which should not be filled above the proper oil level established by the manufacturer. Such motors are manufactured by mass production methods and it is necessary to fill the reservoirs of. these motors with oil before they leave the factory. At present there is no quick and satisfactory means for supplying exactly; the right quantity of oil to the reservoirs of such motors and an object of my invention is to provide anew and improved lubricant dispensing valve particularly adapted for this purpose.

Another object of my invention is to provide a lubricant dispensing valve which is capable of general use for dispensing measured quantities of lubricant.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved lubricant dispensing valve which is adjustable to discharge any desired quantity of lubricant for each operation of the valve.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and. improved lubricant dispensing valve.

which automatically prevents misuse to supply a quantity of lubricant other than that for which the valve is set.

Anotherobject of my inventi n is to provide a new and improved lubricant dispensingvalve oi the metering type which is of simple construction, inexpensive to manufacture, reliable and durable.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds;

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 and 1A together constitute a vertical sectional view through a lubricant dispensing valve embodying a preferred." form of my invention;

Fig, 2 is a partial, horizontal, sectional view through the metering means and is taken on the line 2'-2 of Figs. 1 and 1A;

Fig. 3 is a partial, rear elevation and is taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Y Fig. 4 is an enlarged, transverse, sectional'view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; 7 Y Fig. 5' is an enlarged, transverse, sectional view taken on'the-line 5-5 of Fig. 1; Fig. Sis-a generally horizontal, sectionaI'vlew taken on the irregular line 6-6 ofF'i'g. 1;

Fig, 7 is apartiaLjsectional view taken on the line 1-4 of Fig. 1,; j

Fig. 8 is a partial, horizontal, sectional view taken on the line 8'8 of Fig. 1;" v j Fig. 9 is .aview similar to that of Figs, land 1A but showing the parts in a difierent position; and Fig. i0 is ,a view similar to Fig. 9 but showing theparts ina thirdposition'.

Referring toiFigs liand 1A, it win be seen that my lubricant dispensing valve comprise'sa tubular body 2|] whichjis' threaded as at 22 to receive the threaded upper end'of a plug 24. The plug 24 has a pipe thread 26 wherebythe valve body may be attached tothe discharge conduit oi any suitable or conventional type of lubricant, com pressor. Theplugzq has'b'ores 23 and 3 fl"which serve to connect the discharge condu'itwith the lower end off the tubular body.20. The body. 20 has a bore 32 in which aflguidemember 34. and valve seat 36are located, L These partsare clampedbetween a shoulder 38 and the'plug 25. Gaskets. 40 are preferably located 'on oppositejsi'de's of the valve seat 35 to prevent escape ofp lubricanttherearound; The

valve seat 36 has'a port, :42i which isi' normally against ears 58 pinched out of the valverod 52.-

The lower part of thevalve rod 52 is preferably bifurcated, asindicated at filLso'that' the extreme lower ends of this rod telescope slightly'ov'er the tapered upper end ofthe valve head 48, as clearly shown in-Figs. 1 'and'5 Y j The-upper end of the valve rod 512 located i-n abore 62 in the upper end of the body ZQand engages a pack-in g disk 64 whichprevents escape of lubricant from the'interior oi the body 20 by way of'lthe bore 62. This-packing disk is confined between the upper end or" the valve' rod 52 and an operating ro'd 66"which slides in thebore 52 and has a-head 68engaged and moved by roller informing part'of certain handle mechanism which; shall presently describe. The operating iodfifihasifa recess" into which the pin-like end 14 or screw 16 projects; as most clearly shown in Fig-"T. This; screw constitutes a stopmeans for limiting axial movement of the operating rod 66.

A pair of links 18 are attached to the upper end of the valve body 20 by a bolt 80 provided with the usual nut 82. The body 20 is provided with opposed bores 84 into which pressed-out I the handle 90 to urge the latter toward the open position shown in Fig. 1. The handle 90 has a grip portion 98 located opposite the body 20 and a stop lug I00 engageable with the body 20' to limit movement of the grip portion 98 towards said body. The body 20 and grip portion 98 are adapted to be gripped in a hand of the operator and the body 20 is preferably provided with a rest I02 attached to the body by screw I04 and adapted to engage the upper portion of the operators hand. I

A two-diameter adjusting screw I06 is threaded into the upper end of the handle 90 and is locked in place by a nut I08. The smaller part of the screw I06 is threaded into a block H0 which is pivotally connected by pivot pin H2 to the upper end of a U-shaped thrust member H4, as most clearly shown in Fig. 6. The lower end of the thrust member H4 carries the pin H6 On which the roller 10 is mounted. This thrust member I|4 serves to transmit force from the handle 90 to the operating rod 66 to force this rod, valve rod 52 and valve 44 downwardly against the'tension of springs 54 and 48 and thereby admit lubricant to the passage H8 in the'valv'e' body 20.

The upper end of this passage H8 communicates with a pipe I20 threadedly attached at one end to the upperend of the valve body 20. The other end of the pipe I20 is secured to a nipple I22 threaded into a cap I24 of a measuring cylinder I26 whose other end is closed by a second cap I28. A passage I30 connects the nipple I22 with the interior of the measuring cylinder so that oil may flow through the valve body 20, pipe I20, nipple I22 and passage I30 into the measuring cylinder when the valve 44 is opened. v

The measuring cylinder is provided with an outlet spout I32 which can be inserted into the reservoir opening of the electric motor and through which the oil or other lubricant is discharged into the motor reservoir. This spout is attached to a tubular member I 34 adjustably threaded into the cap I20 and looked in adjusted position by a lock nut Il36. The position of the tubular member I 34 determines the volume of lubricantdischarge from the measuring cylinshown in Fig. 1A by a spring I48. A washer I50 attached to the inner end of the valve member I46 engages the sleeve I44 to limit outward movement of the valve member so that the ports I52 normally project beyond the end of the guiding sleeve I44 to connect the interior of the tubular valve member with the interior of the right hand end of the cylinder I26. The head of the valve member I46 is provided with a plug I54 having a bore therethrough which is partially closed by a pin I56 providing a restricted passage through which the oil may slowly seep as hereinafter explained.

A piston I58 is located in the cylinder I26 and divides this cylinder into two variable chambers -I60and I62.

This piston has a loy-pass I64 located therein and this by-pass is normally closed by a ball valve I66 which is urged against its seat I68 by alight spring I10. This spring oiiers only suflicient resistance to the flow of oil through the bypass to build up a pressure in the chamber I62 suflicient to overcome the frictional resistance of the piston I58. When handle 90 is moved to open valvev 44, oil flows into chamber I 62 and moves piston I58 to the position shown in Fig. 9. It will be noted from this figure that the forward face of the piston has engaged valve member I46 and moved it to closed position. This prevents further flow of lubricant out of the chamber I60 and prevents further forward movement of the piston I58. In other words, the discharge stroke of the piston I58 and the volume of oil discharged by such stroke are deter mined by the position of the tubular member I34 which can be adjusted as heretofore explained to vary this stroke to give any desired volume of discharge.

It is essential that the piston I58 complete its discharge stroke if my new and improved lubricant dispensing valve is to discharge the predetermined quantity of lubricant for each operation. I have, accordingly, provided meansto insure completion of this discharge stroke even though the handle 90 be released immediately after the discharge stroke of the piston I58 is initiated. This meanscomprises a plunger I12 (Fig. 2 whose left hand end is exposed to the fluid pressure in the chamber I62. This plunger is normally held in the position shown in Fig. 2

der in a manner which I shall hereinafter describe. Leakage aroundthe tubular member I34 is prevented by a hat'washer I38 of leather or other suitable material which engages a cylindrical portion I40 of the tubular member. .An annular spring I42 urges the hat washer into sealing engagement with the cylindrical portion I40.

The inner end of the tubular member I34 has a guiding sleeve I44 threadedly attached thereto. This guiding sleeve carriesa slidable valve member I46 which is urged toward the open position by a light spring I14 confined between a washer I16 resting against a shoulder provided by the plunger I12 and a plug I18 threaded into the cap I24. Sealing means I19 prevents leakage of lubricant around the plunger I12.

The plunger I12 has a reduced right hand end I slidable in a bore I 82 in the plug I18 and normally in alignment with-a boss I 04 forming an integral part of the handle 90. As soon as the handle i moved sufilciently to open valve, boss I04 moves downwardly of alignment with reduced end I80 of plunger I12 and lubricant flow.- ing into chamber I62 moves plunger I12 to; the right, as viewed in Fig. 2. This rightward movement of the plunger I12 causesits reduced end I80 to project into thepath of boss I84, thereby preventing handle from returning to valve closing position and insuring completion of the discharge stroke of the measuring piston I58. In Fig. 9, I have clearly indicated in dot and dash lines the extended position of the reduced end I80 of the plunger -I12-and the relationship between this reduced end and the normal or rest position of boss I 84..

The piston I58 is providedwith a iston as t86'which; slides; in.- abore: [88 imthe cap. I24. Packing: I298? is: provided to. prevent; leakageaofz fluid around the piston rod I88 and this packing isheldsirrplace byatubular 'nut I 9.2:threaded into the1cap.:l-24. The. piston rod. I88 is: att'achedto. the. piston I58;- by' a second tubular-nut. I84 threaded to the piston I 58 and-engagingears. I55 pinched upv from the material'of the: piston rod ['88. This piston rod I88 makes the; right hand end: of the piston I58 ofv smaller effective areathanthe-leit hand end of this piston.

area on the right hand end-of'this pistonand with valve I46 closed; chamber I58 immediately becomes a pressure chamber'andbecause of differential areas, piston I58 moves to the'right to return the piston to its initial position and, during this return stroke of the-piston, fluid flo-ws from chamber I62 through bypass I64 into chamber I68. In addition to functioning as a means for reducing the efiective area of-the right hand end-of the piston I58, the piston rod I85 also functionsas part of a means for limiting the piston I58 to asingle discharge stroke for'each operation of the handle 90. s r

The U-shaped thrust member II4 has a rearwardly extended flange I98 at its upper end. This-flange is engaged by a spring 200 seated in a recess 282 formed in the handle 98 and this spring'normally holds the thrust member 4 in; theposition shown in Fig. 1. In this positionbf the thrust member the roller engages the. head 68 of the operating rod 68 and the lower end 204 of the U-shaped thrust member engages the rear of the head 68 to prevent spring 288 from swingingthe thrustv member beyond the position shown in this figure.

This thrust member has a slot 288 Whichreceives pin 288 on the end of'pistonjr'od I88"when the parts. are in the, normal or rest position shown in Fig. 1. When the handle 98. is moved tothe operative position shown inFi'g. 9. and piston I58 starts its discharge stroke, the pin 288 is withdrawn. from slot 288 and from beneath the lower end, of a latch 2.I.I'I whichjisslidably secured. by stud 2I2i to the thrust member ,4. The upper endv 2I4 of the .latch. 2H3 projects rearwardly through a second slot 2I6 in the thrust .member I I4andis acted upon by a spring 2I8. which. urges the, latch downwardly. The upper end of the spring 2I8v abuts the flange I98 of, the thrust member H4 and is held in place. by a depending finger 220. integral with such flange- Downward movement of the latch 2"! under. the thrust of its spring 2I8 is limited by stud 2I2- Upon return of the piston I58v the. pin 288 of piston. rod I88 engageslatch. 2I8 and movesthe lower. end of thrust member II4 rearwardly,.asclearly shown in Fig. 10, to shift: roller 18 out of -alignment withthe head. 68 of operating. rod 66. This permits spring 54.. to raise valve. rod 52 and operatingrod'fifi to elevated position and at: the. same timespring" 4.8"closesfiowcontrol valve ll ttoshut ofi'thesupplyof'oiltoitheicylin 75 i As soon:- as. forwardmovement of piston I 58- der; t28. This efiectivelyylimits piston. I58 to one. complete. cycle: of operation; for: each. operation; ofrthe' handle 907:. When. this handle: returns: to fullyreleased position, as shown in Fig. 1, the upwardim'otion. of that; part-10f the handle; carrying the:- adjusting screw I08 liftsthe thrusttmember I14 so that the lower endof latch 2 I8 israised above" the. pin 288' and. roller 18 is returned to a positionabove thevhead 88 of the operating rod (iii,v as clearly shown in" this figure. parts cannot resume:this'position, however, until the: right; hand end I80 ofplunger- I12 has been withdrawn out of the path ofboss I84 on handle 98. This occurs approximately one: second" after piston I58" hasreached the extreme right hand limit of its stroke and 'is made possible by leakage'pastthe piston to relieve the fluid pressure in the; chamber I 82. I

The operation of my new and improved lubricant dispensing valveis as follows: When the various parts of the mechanism'are at rest they assume the positions shown inFigs. 1 and 1A and valve 44' prevents flow of lubricant to the cylinder I28". The piston I58 has a clearance of approximately .001 to .0015 of an inch in the cylinder I25 so that fluid pressures on opposite sides of this piston are equalized. Ports I52 are open providing free communication between the left hand end of the cylind'erand the spout I32 but no leakage occurs from this spout since the diameter of this spout is small enoughso that air and oil will not pass therein and it provides what may be'described as a capillary seal which serves to prevent leakage of oil therefrom. It is also to be noted'that' in this rest position of the parts the plunger I12 is in its retracted position, as best shown in Fig. 2.

The adjusting screw I86 may be rotated to provide any desired clearance between roller 18 and the head 68 of the operating rod 68. Extreme upward movement of the. operating rod 66 and valve rod :52 is determined by stop pin 14. It to be. understood that normally there is slight clearance between the lower end of valv rod 52 and the head 48 of valve 44 to insure proper seating of this valve under the influence of its spring 46. The force exerted by lubricant pressure against the lower end of this valve merely tends to seat the valve more firmly.

When the handle 88. is gripped to move stop lug I88 into engagement with valve bodyv 28, the resulting downward movement of'thrustmember II4 moves operatingrod and valve rod 52 downwardly and opens valve 44. Oil or other lubricant immediately flows past valve 44 and into chamber I62. The first effect of this inflow of lubricant is to move plunger I12 to the right and place its. reduced end I88 in a position to prevent return of handle 98 to rest position until after the entire cycle of operation has been completed- The pressure created in chamber I62 by lubricant flow thereinto moves piston I58 to the left and discharges lubricant from the spout I32. When the left hand face of piston I58 engages valve member I48, the latter is moved against thetension of its spring I48 to close Ports I52. The head of this valve member then en ages sleeve M4 and prevents further forward movement of the piston I58. As previously pointed out, the stroke of-the piston can be varied byad justing tubular member I34 to move sleeve I4 and valve member I48 further into or out of'the cylinder- I 2 6;

The

ceases, fluid flows through bypass I 64 to substan tially equalize the fiuid pressure in chambers I60 and I 52 located on opposite sides of the piston I58. Sincethe efiective area of the left hand end of the piston I58'is greater than that of the right hand end of this piston by an amount equal to the area of piston rod I86, fluid pressure in cham ber I60 returns the piston to its initial position. As the piston I58 approaches the limit of its return movement, pin 288 on piston rod I86 engages latch 2H! and swings the lower end of thrust member I I4 out of-alignment with operating rod 58. This permits valve 44 to close and cut oil any further supply of lubricant to the cylinder I 26.

As piston I58 is returning to its original position, a very slight amount of oil may flow through the restricted passage around the pin I 56 in valve member Hi5. As soon as the piston I58 has fully returned, seepage around this pin I 56 permits valv member I46 to return to the position shown in Fig. 1A and thereby reopen ports I52. Almost immediately after the piston I58 has returned to normal position, leakage between this piston and cylinder I26 relieves pressure in chamber I62 and permits spring I14 to return plunger I12 to the retracted position, shown in Fig. 2. If the bandle 98 is now released it can return to normal position. This will raise the lower end of latch 2H! above pin 288 and permit thrust member H4 to swing roller I into alignment with head 88.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the piston I58 can complete only one cycle of operation for each depression of the handle 98 even though this handle be held in operating position after the piston I58 has completed its return stroke. The means for preventing repeated operation of piston I58 for a single operation of the handle 90 comprises mechanism including the piston rod I85 and its pin 208i0r engaging latch 2i!) to permit closing of the flow control valve 44 and to prevent reopening of this valve until after the handle 90 has returned to full inoperative position. Immediate release of the handle after the cycle of operations has once been initiated cannot interfere with completion of this cycle due to the plunger I12 which prevents return of the handle to normal position until after the cycle has been completed. Since this occurs approximately a second after the piston I58has completed its return stroke, my novel mechanism may be ready for a second operation.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that I have invented a simple yet fool-proof lubricant dispensing valve which may be inexpensively manufactured and which is capable of affording long and trouble-free service. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is not limited to the particular details shown and described but may assume numerous other forms and that my invention includes all m0d- .ifications, variations and equivalents coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1

1. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valve normally preventing lubricant flow through said tubular body, a handle for opening said valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant therefrom, a valve interposed between said spout and said cylinder, and a restricted bypass in said valve, to permit said valve to open inwardly 01 said cylinder when the latter is filled with lubricant.

2. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valve normally preventing lubricant flow through said tubular body, a handle for opening said valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant therefrom, and means for preventing return of said handle to normal positionuntil said piston has completed a cycle of operation. 1

3. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valve normally preventing lubricant flow through said tubular body, a handle for opening said valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant therefrom, a plunger exposed to said cylinder and operated by fiuid pressure therein, means provided by said plunger and handle for preventing return of said handle when said plunger is operated by said fluid pressure, and a spring for returning said plunger.

4. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valve normally preventing lubricant flow. through said tubular body, a handle for opening said valve, a connection between said handle and valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, a piston movable in said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant there from, and means operated by return movement of said piston to permit closing of said valve independently of said handle by rendering said connection. inoperative.

5. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valvenormally preventing lubricant flow through said tubular body, a handle vfor opening said valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, a. piston movable in said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant therefrom, a piston rod attached to said piston, a separable connection between said handle and valve moved to inoperative position by said piston rod, and other means for reestablishing said connection.

6. A lubricant dispensing valve of the class described comprising a tubular body adapted to be connected to a source of lubricant under pressure, a valve normally preventing lubricant flow through said tubular body, a handle for opening said valve, a measuring cylinder in fluid communication with said body, a spout for said cylinder, 2. piston movable in, said cylinder to discharge a measured quantity of lubricant therefrom, means for preventingreturn of said handle until said piston has completed a full cycle of operation, and means operated by return of said piston to close said valve independently of the position of said handle.

7. In a lubricant dispensing valve of the class described, the combination of a tubular body adapted to be connected at one end to a source of lubricant under pressure, a handle pivotally attached to said body, a valve for controlling flow through said body, a spring for closing said valve, an operating rod for opening said valve, a thrust member attached to said handle and engageable with said operating rod, a measuring cylinder mounted on said body and in fluid communication therewith, a piston reciprocable in said measuring cylinder, and means carried by said piston for moving said thrust member out of engagement with said operating rod.

8. In a lubricant dispensing valve of the class described, the combination of, a tubular body adapted to be connected at one end to a source of lubricant under pressure, a handle pivotally attached to said body, a valve for controlling flow through said body, a spring for closing said valve, an operating rod for opening said valve, a thrust member attached to said handle and engageable with said operating rod, a measuring cylinder mounted on said body and in fluid communication therewith, a piston reciprocable in said measuring cylinder, and means for preventing return of said handle to inoperative position while fluid pressure exists in said measuring cylinder.

9. In a lubricant dispensing valve of the class described, the combination of a tubular body adapted to be connected at one end to a source of lubricant under pressure, a handle pivotally attached to said body, a valve for controlling flow through said body, a spring for closing said valve, an operating rod for opening said valve, a thrust member attached to said handle and engageable with said operating rod, a measuring cylinder mounted on said body and in fluid communication therewith, a piston reciprocable in said measuring cylinder, said thrust member having a slot therein, a piston rod attached to said piston and having a part normally located in said slot, a slot covering latch movable to opera tive position in the path of said piston rod whereby return movement of said piston and piston rod shifts said thrust member to disconnect said valve from saidhandle, and spring means for moving said latch.

FREDERICK G. SCHWEISTHAL. 

